Peter Thomas Senese - Film and Television Production At The United Nations

For anyone who has worked in film and television production knows, creating a production takes a great deal of time and patience. If there was a prerequisite to being a producer, it is that you need first attend juggling school and graduate with an advanced degree that acknowledges you have the ability of keeping a host of issues or 'balls' up in the air while walking forward on a trapeze line.

There are many moving parts - none taking the same shape or form - in film or television production. If you ask any juggler what one of the keys to keeping the 'balls' in the air, they will tell you there is a rhythm that is created because the 'balls' are generally the same shape and weight.

Well, you can toss that idea out the window when dealing with production.  From creating the 'right' script, to selecting the 'right' cast, to the ever-consuming budget issues, scouting and location issues, having a host of personalities to deal with in front of and behind the camera, and then the ever daunting challenges of distribution, not to mention the agenda or agendas of a studio or network, a producer is problem-solver, thoughtful storyteller, cheerleader, and thinker who must walk a trapeze line while juggling a large number of different sized 'balls' in the air at once, knowing that if any one ball drops the production they are carrying on their back will fall off the high-wire.

Fun stuff.

But in reality, producing is a great deal of fun when you get it right.

On this note, I am very pleased to share that the I CARE Foundation is co-producing (along with Mark Joseph Productions) a television special on international parental child abduction prevention in hope that as the summer months approach, we will be able to reach a large group of targeted parents at risk of having their child or children kidnapped. The show will initially air throughout the New York metropolitan area and then is expected to be distributed in large metropolitan areas.

Location for the show will include taping at the United Nations, which in my opinion, makes a great deal of sense.  In fact, yesterday was a fun day spent scouting key locations at the United Nations for the upcoming shooting schedule.

It is a great honor to have been granted permission to film at the United Nations, as it was a great honor previously to have the I CARE Foundation host a conference on international parental child abduction at the United Nations previously.

As the upcoming television production's host, it is my hope that the information shared in the segment will help protect children and their families. 

If there is one thing more than anything else I have learned during my years of advocacy for children at risk of kidnapping, it is that stewarding the message of risk factors and warning signs of abduction does make a major difference in preventing abduction.

Now you might ask yourself, "Really, how impactful has stewarding the warning signs of abduction actually been?'

Consider this: prior to the I CARE Foundation's formal operations commenced, and using outbound cases of abduction originating from the United States, the international parental child abduction rate experienced substantial increases in abduction for each of the first 30 years since the United States became a member of the Hague Treaty on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. includng long periods when the abduction rate grew on average of 20% per year; however, over the past 2 years, the rate of outbound cases of abduction have dropped by over 15% per year during fiscal years 2011 and 2012 as reported by the Department of State to the U.S. Congress this past February, 2013.

Now what has not changed, but has increased, is the primary reason why international parental kidnappings take place: multi-national relationships fail, and one parent abducts a child to their country of origin.  In fact, more people than ever before from different countries are having relationships, which in theory means more children will be born from these relationships.

So what's the difference?

Clearly it is stewarding the message that the term 'international parental child abduction' exists, what the warning signs, risk factors, and immediate course of action should be if a parent finds themselves at-risk of having a child taken, or, what they should do if a child ws kidnapped abroad.  Weaved into the grass-roots awareness campaign is the fact that part of 'awareness' has been to raise awareness in courts and wherever possible, create case law and new precedent so that courts can protect defenseless children.

Getting the information out into the public's view has been key.

On that note, I am so pleased to share that the ongoing production of the documentary film  '150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children' will also film several important scenes at the United Nations.

Step by step, the I CARE Foundation along with many other individuals and organizations continue to make a difference fighting against abduction.

A fight well worth joining as children are indeed our greatest resources . . . and worth fighting for.

- Peter Thomas Senese -

 Author of the critically acclaimed novel on abduction titled 'Chasing The Cyclone' available on Amazon (Peter Thomas Senese Donates 100% of all proceeds to the I CARE Foundation)


Click Here To Learn More About The Warning Signs Of International Parental Child Abduction

Peter Thomas Senese's Documentary On Child Abduction To Show Incredible Child Rescue Footage

Last night I was working on the documentary film 150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children when I began to nostalgically think about the past few years that I have spent as an activist voluntarily providing resources and time to help fight international parental child abduciton and human trafficking. 

 

What I realized most was that in the face of the dark clouds of international parental child abduction that exist in the United States, Canada and abroad, the light of hope has begun to make its way through the darkness. 

A few significant events come to mind.

Immediately, I think about how a grassroots effort led by caring parents, including some of the most prolific parenting blog writers, has raised awareness of child abduction warning signs, risks, and necessary actions an at-risk parent can take if they believe their child is targeted for abduction.  There is no question that these incredible social media savvy writers have made a giant difference in the fight to protect children.

As some of you may know, a little over a month ago a large number of young girls who were previously enslaved into the sex world of human trafficking in Central America were rescued, freed, reunited with their families, and are presently receiving the necessary care that one day make them whole again.  Obviously, there are no words that can ever express the horror these children faced; however, the road they will journey on will be one filled with the support and care they need so that God willing, they will find the magic that does exist in life.

With respect to these young children, heavy consideration has been put into whether the film footage that was taken during their recovery should be used in the film '150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children' due to the severity of what they had to endure, amongst other considerations.  This was not an easy issue to wrestle with; however, after speaking at length with numerous advocates, many who are highly informative freedom fighters, we have decided to include the majority of the film footage in the feature documentary as the film coverage included some incredible, intense, spirited, and provocative film important to share with the world.  There is no question that the world really needs to know what goes on first-hand in the world of child trafficking - the brutality of it - and why we must do what is necessary to stop it. In case you are wondering, the film will be extremely conscious and respectful of each child and their family's privacy, safety, and road to recovery.  We will never show a child's face nor identify who they are or where they are from. What the viewer will see is the actual planning and eventual rescues that took place.

Obviously, it is not easy to celebrate the rescue of any child who is trafficked because they should have never been kidnapped to begin with.  Yes, there is a silver lining that has come from their rescue outside of the incredible act that each child is safe and free, and that is that a monstrous network was smashed.  That is not to say that another network of traffickers will not emerge, but those individuals who 'ran' young girls from country to country in Central America will never be able to touch another child. Thus, many other children who may have been preyed upon by these monsters will never be touched by them. And fortunately, law enforcement has increased their efforts in light of what occurred to destroy any other networks that exist.

God willing, inclusion of these events in '150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children' will keep pressure on the international community to continue strong efforts to protect young children, mostly young girls in Central and South America (and boys in China), when the full details of what occurred and what occurs is shared. On this note, there are no words that can ever express the gratitude of the heroic efforts put forth by some of the most amazing men and women I know who acted with sheer heroism to rescue these children nor the physicians and support teams who continue to provide critical care to them.  You are all what is right about this world.

On a separate note, I am thrilled to share that reported cases of international parental child abduction has declined in the United States by 15%. from 2011 to 2012.  This is tremendous news, particularly since there was a previous 15% decline in reported IPCA cases from 2010 to 2011.  After 30 years of sustained increased of reported cases of international parental child abduction in the United States, we are moving in the right direction - but make no mistake, no child should ever be abducted, and every kidnapped child must be brought home!

Kind regards to all,

Peter Thomas Senese
Founding Director
The I CARE Foundation
Author
Chasing The Cyclone